Journal of clinical anesthesia
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Conversion disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which psychological stress causes neurologic deficits. A 28-year-old female surgical patient had uneventful general anesthesia and emergence but developed conversion disorder 1 hour postoperatively. ⋯ Neurologic examination and imaging revealed no neuronal damage, herniation, hemorrhage, or stroke. The patient mentioned failing examinations the day before surgery and discontinuing her prescribed antidepressant medication, leading us to diagnose conversion disorder, with eventual confirmation by neuroimaging and follow-up examinations.
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The quality and standardized training and certification of young physicians is key to the quality of health care in the future. In contrast to the American system, there is no nationwide and standardized oral examination in the training and certification process for anesthesiologists in China. ⋯ In this commentary, we share our experience of introducing the American oral examination to an audience of Chinese anesthesiologists and propose a pragmatic approach for adopting the anesthesia oral examination in China. This initiative has the potential to reform the current anesthesia training and certification process and improve the quality of anesthetic care in China.
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To evaluate intra-abdominal needle trajectories of the classic transcrural celiac plexus block (tCPB) with a simulation technique. ⋯ Despite uncommon clinical complications, classic tCPB needle placement frequently traversed through several key organs in this simulation series. Organ penetrations could be avoided by needle trajectory adjustment.
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Case Reports
Increased airway pressure due to superior mediastinal hematoma during endovascular coiling by transcarotid approach.
An elderly woman with subarachanoid hemorrhage presented to our interventional neuroradiology suite for coil embolization of multiple intracranial aneurysms. The patient had difficult vascular access for the passage of microcatheter; hence, the embolization procedure was carried out with direct puncture of the left common carotid artery. ⋯ At the end of procedure, she developed airway compromise due to extension of a local neck hematoma into the superior mediastinum. The management issues in such a scenario have been discussed.
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The prevalence of medical conditions representing a risk for thromboembolic complications and requiring antithrombotic therapy increases gradually with age. Two cases of fatal noncritical organ bleeding complication that occurred during the conversion period from initial fondaparinux to vitamin K antagonist are presented. An 81-year-old obese female patient (body mass index 43 kg/m(2)) with previous postoperative thrombosis underwent uneventful total knee replacement under spinal anesthesia. ⋯ A 92-year-old female patient (body mass index 33 kg/m(2)) with left lower limb thrombosis was referred to our orthopedics department from her senior citizens' home for right lower limb hematoma and ischemia that occurred during conversion to oral anticoagulant. Thromboembolic and bleeding events in the elderly are real public health problems. Specific guidelines dedicated to this particular population are needed, which will improve the management of anticoagulation and decrease risk of complications.